What's On Your Mind? Redbox, AdKids, Emerson

These days, if you want to rent a movie on DVD – and don't want to wait for it in the mail from Netflix – you pretty much have to get it out of a vending machine, either Redbox or Blockbuster. But renting from a machine can have it's drawbacks, as Bill, of Cleveland Heights, Ohio discovered when he returned Water For Elephants to a Redbox machine.

“About two weeks later, I was charged $35.00,” Bill said. “I was able to negotiate away $20.00 via online chat customer service. Their machines should be required to provide a receipt on the spot.”

And it probably wouldn't be that hard to do. In the meantime, keep in mind that you're dealing with a machine and not a person when you're renting a movie, and mistakes can happen.

You're gonna be a star!

A lot of parents would like to get their child on the show biz fast track, and there are plenty of modeling and talent agencies out there who promise to help, in exchange for a fee. Parents should be very careful and get plenty of references. and sometimes trust their instincts.

“I found AdKids online and submitted my son's pictures and information to them,” Lisa, of Athens, Tex., told ConsumerAffairs.com. “They set up an appointment for us to go to Dallas and meet with the manager. When we got there it was a little strange. A girl met us downstairs and took us up to the office. When we got up there it seems really strange that this was a professional company but yet the two females that he had working with him looked as if they just got out of bed.”

Lisa said it turned out the price of stardom was not free. They would have to pay nearly $500 for “photos.”

“It just did not look right from the moment we saw his helpers,” Lisa said. “We will continue to look for our son an agent and be a lot more careful.

And Lisa probably should not rely on using a talent agency she found on the Internet without doing a lot of independent investigation.

Boom!

We've received a number of reports from owners of Emerson microwave ovens who believe the appliances are fire hazards. Taneal, of Massena, N.Y., says her Emerson microwave is blowing up her dishes. And she's pretty sure it's not because the dishes are flawed.

“The first dish to blow up was the glass plate that came with the microwave, while microwaving popcorn,” Taneal said. “Thought it was a fluke so I continued to use it. Now that another plate has exploded and weird smells are coming from it I am discontinuing use of this product. After seeing all the problems with this model and company, I am surprised that there is no recall.”

A reminder to Taneal and other consumers who believe a product is unsafe, they should report their experience to the company and then file a report with the Consumer Product Safety Commission.